Compound Chocolate: What differentiates them from regular chocolates?

Have you ever visited a shop which sells baking raw materials and seen people ask for compound chocolate which look exactly like a regular chocolate bar? Wondered what people make by melting a whole chocolate bar? Here’s giving away all the details you didn’t know about compound chocolate and its usage.

To answer the most basic question, compound chocolates are bars made of cocoa powder or solids, vegetable fats and sugar. It is a chocolate-like product but not exactly what we understand or eat as chocolate. It serves as a raw material which is heavily used in coating chocolates, making chocolates and other bakery items.  

There are several differences between a compound chocolate and regular chocolates. These can be broadly divided under fat, temperature absorption, taste, expense, uses and more.

The basic difference is in the make of the compound chocolate, while they are made with oils like coconut or palm oil, real chocolates, on the other hand is pure cocoa butter. If you have kept a chocolate bar out in the open for quite some time, you will notice that it starts melting. This is because they tend to melt in low temperatures as opposed to compound chocolates, which withstands comparatively higher temperatures.

While working with real melted chocolate, you would have to go through the process of tempering for the glossy, smooth and velvety finish but it is not needed for compound ones, which melt easily, albeit at a higher temperature, but reset equally fast. The use of high-end ingredients and pure ones make chocolate bars more expensive than compound chocolate bars, which do not share the same ingredients.

Real Chocolate can be melted to make premium chocolate bars, lustre-filled coatings on bakery goods and much more while Compound chocolates are usually kept aside for coating purposes, baking chips and less expensive bakery goods. Lastly, while the creamy and rich texture of a melt-in-the-mouth chocolate is loved by all, compound chocolate, if had on its own, offers a greasy flavour in the mouth.

Why is compound chocolate used?

To sum up from the properties, Compound chocolates are often preferred when the budget is low and you have to mass produce goods. It is used for coatings and decorations which also reduces the overall budget of the product. Its ability to absorb more heat makes it stable in regular temperatures.